


Bubbles

by beltainefaerie



Category: Sherlock - Fandom
Genre: Asexual Relationship, Bubble Bath, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Massage, Other, ace Irene, sometimes domme is just a job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 09:24:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17281409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beltainefaerie/pseuds/beltainefaerie
Summary: Irene and Kate relax after a long day.





	Bubbles

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 2019! Technically this is the last of my 2018 fics but I was on a little vacation in the mountains and there was not internet access. 
> 
> For those who have been following me on Tumblr or reading my fics a while, you know I don't usually write Irene (because frankly the drugging people and overall noncon tone of her role in Sherlock messes with me. There was so much they could have done with her character and Laura Pulver is an amazing actress, but I digress.) After being on the ace panel and attending the wlw panel at 221bcon, I was prompted to write ace Irene and Kate and this is the result. I was going for domestic cuteness and hopefully you'll enjoy it. 
> 
> (If you are the friend of RJ's who prompted this, please let me know. My phone ate the note with your name and I'd be happy to gift this fic to you!)
> 
> This is tagged with / not & because Kate and Irene are in a loving romantic relationship. If that's not what you are looking for, the back button is your safeword.

Kate slipped into the room, meeting Irene’s eyes with a smile. “He’s gone.”

Irene visibly relaxed and seemed somehow to take up less space in the room, as if drawing back whatever aura made her _The Woman _. “Thanks, love,” she murmured, in a voice that was soft and warm like honey, no trace of the haughty, controlled voice of her profession.__

__She looked at the long rattan cane in her hand, as if noticing it for the first time in long minutes, then walked across the room, opened the cabinet and fitted it into its bracket alongside several others of varying thicknesses and materials. She ran her fingers over them, then paused and adjusted the placement of the few crops beside them until all was even and orderly._ _

__It was a special time when the clients were gone. Here, alone with Kate, she could just be Irene._ _

__She slipped out of her louboutins and padded over to where Kate was efficiently changing the sheets and plumping the pillows._ _

__“Bath time, when you’re done here?”_ _

__Kate smiled and gave a small nod and hum of agreement._ _

__Irene dropped a kiss to her shoulder. “See you in a few.” She dipped low to scoop up her shoes, dangling them from two crooked fingers as she sauntered off down the hall._ _

__Taking a breath, Irene paused in front of the large wooden door before letting herself into their inner sanctum. No interlopers would ever be welcomed here, those powerful strangers she could read with a glance, who came to her because of her unique talents. She was very, very good at knowing what people liked. She could give it to them, and frequently did, but she could see those who preferred her to hold the fulfillment of their desires just out of reach too. Sometimes her clients hid their deepest desires, longing for years for fulfillment. Others came to her desperate, not even knowing what they craved until she masterfully presented it to them. Either way, she remained cool and aloof, her distance an expected unspoken aspect of the contract they wove together. It played to her strengths. She could see why someone wanted to make themselves that vulnerable, that messy, but it was an academic understanding, not one she ever felt tugging at her. She was an accomplished actress, a mirror, a mimic and she didn’t have to feel any of it herself to deliver. There was a satisfaction in a job well done and of course it paid handsomely, and allowed her to gather insurance in case it was needed, but it was always freeing to be able to let go and simply become Irene again._ _

__With a sigh, she pushed open the doors to what amounted to their flat within the mansion and the cultivated austerity of the public spaces gave way to home. The plush carpet felt soft beneath her feet, even through her stockings. It was no less luxurious than the rest of the house, but in this inner sanctum both she and her surroundings were softer and warmer than she would ever let ordinary people see._ _

__She dropped her shoes by the closet and unpinned her hair. The sheath dress would have to wait as she couldn’t quite reach the zip on her own. Irene contemplated lighting the fire, but instead pulled down another comforter from the linen closet._ _

__Irene crossed the threshold into the bathroom and smiled, the cool tile pleasant on her sore feet. She switched on the taps and was just adding a dollop of bubble bath to the warming tub when she heard the door click._ _

__Kate stepped up behind Irene, wrapping her arms around her waist and Irene leaned back into her embrace._ _

__“Today was exhausting.”_ _

__“Well, this should help.” Kate stepped back enough to unzip the dress, then hung it on a hook by the door._ _

__The bathroom swirled with steam as Irene slipped off her silk undergarments and unhooked her garters, rolling down her stockings, slipping out of them as Kate shut off the taps._ _

__Irene stepped into the bath. “Oh, God. This is heaven,” she murmured before submerging completely in the soothing heat. By the time she resurfaced, Kate had divested herself of clothes._ _

__Kate pressed buttons on the side, setting the jets whirring to life. She smiled at Irene as she slipped into the opposite end of the huge tub, sighing contentedly._ _

__Irene took one of Kate’s feet, scrubbing gently with a loofah._ _

__Kate wriggled and pulled her foot away. “That tickles!”_ _

__“Well, you need to get clean!” Irene said, in a playful mockery of her stern voice._ _

__“A little harder I think might be better.” Kate tentatively straightening her leg again. “Mmm, that’s good,” she sighed as Irene resumed and she began to massage Irene’s feet under the warm water._ _

__Irene groaned at the simple pleasure. “Thank you. Those heels are positively murder.”_ _

__Kate giggled and started on the other one and Irene switched sides as well._ _

__The steam curled around them, fragrant and calming. Irene was looking forward to their night. Soon they’d be tucked in bed, reading. Their dinner would arrive in half an hour. On nights like tonight it was just as likely they’d fall asleep before they managed to eat, but dumplings made a delightful midnight snack._ _

__“I love nights like this,” Kate murmured._ _

__Irene smiled warmly. “Me too, love.”_ _


End file.
